Web pages and browser add-ons take a certain time to load. But, when it takes too long to run them, your web browser faces the unresponsive script error.
It is generally an error message that reads – Warning: Unresponsive script (A script on this page may have stopped responding) .
At some point of time, you may face the unresponsive script error while browsing with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer on your Windows PC.
So, what are you going to do then? You need to understand what the unresponsive script error means, why it occurred, and what’s the most effective way to fix it.
What is Unresponsive Script Error?
The unresponsive script error is basically a warning from your browser. It either translates into the web page not safe for accessing or too many bugs in the script.
When your browser takes more time to run JavaScript code on a web page, it shows the unresponsive script error message.
Also, you’ll face the unresponsive script error when a browser add-on doesn’t respond to your inputs or takes a long time to do so.
There are various other factors that could the unresponsive script error on web browsers.
A faulty Internet connection, hardware misconfiguration, or even a browser security measure can cause unresponsive script error on Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer (now known as Edge).
When the unresponsive script error prompt shows up, you can click on ‘Continue’ to access the web page as it is. Otherwise, you can click on ‘Stop Script’ and try to reload the web page or add-on once again.
10+ Simple Ways to Fix Unresponsive Script Error on Your Web Browser
Clicking on Continue or Stop Script won’t necessarily solve your problem. You may face the unresponsive script error the next time you load the same web page.
To fix the unresponsive script error on Firefox, Chrome, and other web browsers, you can try the below methods out.
Some of these solutions work only for specific browsers, while others can solve the unresponsive script error for any browser on your Windows computer.
1. Roll Back Your Browser Theme
Any recent activity could cause the unresponsive script error. This could include you changing the theme of your web browser.
On Firefox, restoring the default theme turns out effective in fixing script errors. The new theme may not support a JavaScript code of an add-on.
So, when you restore the browser theme to default, the add-on’s script runtime decreases significantly.
To restore default theme on Firefox,
- Click on the Firefox menu button
- Go to Add-ons
- Click on the Appearance tab
- Select the default theme and apply the changes
- Restart Firefox
Try to run the same add-on to see if this fixed the error or not. That way, you figure out that the unresponsive script error on your Firefox browser stems from unsupported browser themes.
2. Reset Script Runtime Value on Firefox
If the browser theme had nothing to do with unresponsive script error on Firefox, you can manually change the script runtime to fix the issue.
Resetting the script runtime value on Firefox fixes the unresponsive script error for some web pages and add-ons. You can modify the script runtime value to test whether it helps or not.
- Open Firefox and type “ about:config ” in the URL bar
- Press the Enter key
- Click on Continue (if a warning prompt pops up)
- Look for a string named max_script_run_time
- Double-click on it
- Now, reset the default value to ‘ 20 ’
- Press the Enter key to apply changes
- Restart the browser thereafter
If this doesn’t solve the unresponsive script error, you can restore the default value for script runtime. Just right-click on ‘ dom.max_script_run_time ’ string and select the ‘ Reset ’ option.
3. Disable Add-ons from Browser Console
You can also avoid script errors once you identify the add-on that’s causing it. When the unresponsive script error occurs only while running a particular add-on on Firefox, you can disable it and fix the issue once and for all.
You’ll not just disable add-ons by uninstalling them from Firefox. You need to open the Browser Console and disable them thoroughly.
To disable add-ons from browser console,
- Open Firefox and press Alt key
- Go to the File menu
- Select ‘ Tools ’, then go to Web Developer > Browser Console
- Or, just press Ctrl + Shift + J
- Look for references linked to add-ons
- You’ll see the add-on that caused the unresponsive script error
Now, once you note the add-on, you can go back to your browser. Here, you’ll select the add-on from Firefox’s Tools menu, right-click on it, and select ‘Remove’ to disable it.
This fix can also work for Chrome and other web browsers. Just learn how to access Web Developer tools on the particular browser.
4. Install JavaScript Plug-ins
Then, there’s a fix that involves you using a JavaScript plug-in called YesScript. If you haven’t heard about it, YesScript is a Firefox and Chrome ( ScriptSafe ) plug-in that automatically fixes script errors.
You can run YesScript to fix the unresponsive script error. The plug-in also gets rid of the add-on or any other factor causing the unresponsive script error.
To use YesScript,
- Download the YesScript plug-in and install it
- Restart your Firefox browser
- Go to the Tools menu
- Select ‘ Add-ons ’ and choose ‘ YesScript ’
- Click on the Options tab
- Now, a new dialog box appears
- Here, you paste the URL of the web page (the one that’s causing unresponsive script error)
- Click on the Add button
Now, try to load that web page again. The YesScript plug-in takes care of all script-linked errors for that web page.
5. Start Browser in Safe Mode
You can also choose to disable all add-ons or individual add-ons in Safe Mode. If you log on to your Windows computer in Safe Mode, open Mozilla Firefox and check if the unresponsive script error persists.
In Safe Mode, the web browser such as Firefox and Chrome won’t face any unresponsive script errors. So, it helps you narrow down the add-on that’s causing the error. You can uninstall the add-on manually and restart your computer.
Now, open Firefox and see if the unresponsive script error persists.
6. Turn Off Hardware Acceleration
For some browsers, the hardware acceleration can result in unresponsive script errors. When hardware works at a faster pace, it becomes difficult for the browser to load scripts in specified time.
In such cases, the CPU of your computer gets used up while rendering web pages. You need to disable hardware acceleration and help your browser render scripts smoothly.
On Firefox,
- Open the Firefox button
- Click on Options and go to the Advanced tab
- Now, deselect the option that says – Use hardware acceleration when available
- Close the browser and restart it
For Chrome,
- Open the Google Chrome browser
- Click on the three vertical dots at the top-right corner
- Select ‘Settings’ from the dropdown menu and click on it
- Scroll down the Settings page and click on Advanced
- Here, find a header called System Settings
- Under this section, turn off the option that says “ Use hardware acceleration when available ”
- Close and restart Chrome
This will surely fix the unresponsive script error on Chrome and Firefox, and also help you reduce CPU usage caused by unloaded web pages.
7. Don’t Enable Sync on Chrome or Firefox
If that didn’t work, try un-syncing your web browser with your Windows apps. You can disable the sync feature on Chrome and Firefox.
With that, other apps, web history, settings, and tabs won’t be able to interfere with web pages and cause the unresponsive script error.
- Click on the Firefox button
- Go to the Options tab
- Click on Sync and deselect – Synchronization feature
If that helps, you can choose to disable sync on Firefox to keep unresponsive script errors at bay.
8. Check Security Extensions on Browser
There’s also a way of identifying the root cause for unresponsive script error on your browser. Go through the list of antivirus plug-ins, security extensions, and browser safety add-ons on your browser.
Now, you can categorically disable each one of them and reload the web page to check if it fixes the unresponsive script error. If one of the security extensions causes this error, disabling it can certainly fix your browsing woes.
9. Reconfigure Host File
While the above is a temporary fix, you can go for a trickier solution. On technical grounds, reconfiguring hosts files on Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome is quite complicated.
When you modify hosts file, you reconfigure the IP addresses and network information containing in them. It allows your browser to load scripts faster than before.
To modify hosts file,
- Go to My Computer or This PC folder
- Click on the C drive and open it
- Navigate to Windows > System32 > Drivers > ETC
- Now, search for HOSTS file
- Right-click on it
- Choose to ‘ Open with ’ – Notepad
- Insert the following text at the end of file text
127.0.0.1 ad-emea.doubleclick.net
- Save the file and close Notepad
In only a few cases, this seems to fix the unresponsive script error on Firefox, Internet Explorer and Chrome. But, it is sure worth a try.
10. Flush DNS
You can also try resetting or flushing the Domain Name System (DNS) of your computer and allow all web browsers to load web pages quicker than before.
It is simple and effective as a reset button for fixing the unresponsive script error on Chrome, Firefox and other browsers.
To flush DNS,
- Open the Run dialog box (press ‘ Windows ’ and ‘ R ’ key)
- Type “ipconfig/flushdns” in the Run dialog box
- Press the Enter key or click on OK
Windows automatically resets the DNS and your web browser gets a whole new address book for browsing.
11. Debugging Tricks
Some unresponsive script error messages also ask you to debug the script. This could be your last resort to fix the unresponsive script error on Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer.
The most effective script-debugging tricks include –
- Check for script’s conflict with add-ons
- Loading a particular script or script data in the absence of the source
- Checking for loops in the script
- Disable one script to allow browser reload the next one
You’ll need technical assistance for these debugging fixes. So, do let us know how fixing the unresponsive script error on Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer panned out for you. Leave your comments below.
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